An open letter to Doctor Oz

Options
24

Replies

  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    Let me start by saying I do not like Dr. Oz, i do think he pitches quick fixes and spreads fear through his show. However, he does not actually endorse products you see him attached to onlin, and the facebook ads are also using him without his consent. He often states this on his show or in interviews, he does not sell supplements, and the ads will use any face that sells.

    Have you actually watched his show? He LITERALLY endorses weight loss pills. On his show. As a doctor. I've watched him tote raspberry ketones and that garnacia something, pretty sure he did hoodia too. I don't see how you can say he doesn't endorse products. He does, and is a terrible person for using his title as a medical doctor to make money off peoples ignorance.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Options
    hE3505A3F
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    Options
    :drinker: I think he started off meaning well, and it's not like he personally needs the money, given that he's a highly successful surgeon. Nor is he stupid, obviously. But somehow his show has been hijacked and turned into a sideshow. Every once in awhile something interesting gets said, but it's drowned out by the sales pitch for the latest fad. It's sad, really.

    Highly successful surgeons make a few hundred thousand dollars a year, not the millions he is making now.

    Fair enough. He could have done a few shows and still quit while he had his reputation intact if upper middle class wasn't good enough for him, though.

    Why would he quit? He still makes a lot of money doing this.

    Everyone is missing the point. His goal was never to ACTUALLY help people. His goal was to use his credentials to influence people to spend money on products he endorsed and drum up viewership so he could rake in more advertising money by engaging in nutritional fearmongering, which is an extremely lucrative business. The biggest lie he ever sold was that he actually gave a poop about anyone other than himself.

    He's no different than all the other "doctors" out there who have written anti-*insert demon food item here* nutrition books and make hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions by scaring the living crap out of people and making them believe that there's some huge conspiracy to poison them within the food industry.
  • hannamarie88
    hannamarie88 Posts: 231 Member
    Options
    Yes! :drinker: To you! Absolutely a snake oil salesman. I see the stuff all over Facebook and laugh at it. But, sadly, my mom is vulnerable to stuff like that and she religiously takes her raspberry ketones. I tell her she is wasting her money and that they aren't doing anything, but she insists that there is "research" proving their "effectiveness." Sigh. High five OP for this post!
  • trish07tx
    trish07tx Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    VERY well said! From a woman who has also spend much too much money on dexatrim, Hydrocut, quicktrim, advocare, Ace, metabolife (back in the day), slimfast, green tea extract miracle pills, etc, etc.. I can relate. I find his salespitch on new "miracle"cures a disgrace to his title as a "Doctor" he is, as you said nothing more than a snakeoil salesman and has no respect from me!
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
    Options

    He's no different than all the other "doctors" out there who have written anti-*insert demon food item here* nutrition books and make hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions by scaring the living crap out of people and making them believe that there's some huge conspiracy to poison them within the food industry.

    Isn't that enough? But I will say this, can you *name* -- off the top of your head -- one of those other doctors?
  • crohnsfighter
    crohnsfighter Posts: 689 Member
    Options
    As long as the audience keeps buying into the idea that there is an easy way to success, there will always be a seller.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Options
    This guy is one of the main reasons why both my mother and aunt - who are both close to 300 lbs - will never lose weight. They put so much credence in everything he says. Mom is always telling me what I should do to lose weight ..um I've lost almost 80 lbs without him, why would I start listening to him now ROFL!
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 Member
    Options
    :drinker:
  • zillah73
    zillah73 Posts: 505 Member
    Options
    I know a woman who sits in an epsom salt bath for a half hour EVERY time she has plans to go out in public because Dr. Oz said it would make her lose 2-5 pounds instantly. Unfortunately, for every truly dedicated person trying to make positive changes in their lives like OP, there are two or three dim-witted, pill-popping stepford wives who buy into gallons of his snakeoil quick fixes and gimmicks and make Dr. Oz and his ilk filthy stinky rich and pervasive in the media.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    Options

    He's no different than all the other "doctors" out there who have written anti-*insert demon food item here* nutrition books and make hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions by scaring the living crap out of people and making them believe that there's some huge conspiracy to poison them within the food industry.

    Isn't that enough? But I will say this, can you *name* -- off the top of your head -- one of those other doctors?

    Lustig comes to mind immediately. No one had a clue who he was until he went on his anti-sugar crusade and started selling books, giving talks, and etc. scaring the living crap out of everyone about sugar. Weil is in the same boat.

    Mercola is another. He's made a damn fortune off of his anti-FDA, anti-GMO, etc. campaigns.

    I know Mercola was on Dr. Oz's show a while ago promoting his quackery, but I'm not sure about Lustig on that point. He may or may not have been on there.

    Nutritional fearmongering is a very lucrative business for these guys who are charismatic and who have M.D.'s. It's big business.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Options
    Let me start by saying I do not like Dr. Oz, i do think he pitches quick fixes and spreads fear through his show. However, he does not actually endorse products you see him attached to onlin, and the facebook ads are also using him without his consent. He often states this on his show or in interviews, he does not sell supplements, and the ads will use any face that sells.

    Have you actually watched his show? He LITERALLY endorses weight loss pills. On his show. As a doctor. I've watched him tote raspberry ketones and that garnacia something, pretty sure he did hoodia too. I don't see how you can say he doesn't endorse products. He does, and is a terrible person for using his title as a medical doctor to make money off peoples ignorance.

    Exactly!!! Also, if they used his photo without his consent, why hasn't he sued them???
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Options
    Caveat emptor, IMMENSIOR!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    Options
    Let me start by saying I do not like Dr. Oz, i do think he pitches quick fixes and spreads fear through his show. However, he does not actually endorse products you see him attached to onlin, and the facebook ads are also using him without his consent. He often states this on his show or in interviews, he does not sell supplements, and the ads will use any face that sells.

    Have you actually watched his show? He LITERALLY endorses weight loss pills. On his show. As a doctor. I've watched him tote raspberry ketones and that garnacia something, pretty sure he did hoodia too. I don't see how you can say he doesn't endorse products. He does, and is a terrible person for using his title as a medical doctor to make money off peoples ignorance.

    Exactly!!! Also, if they used his photo without his consent, why hasn't he sued them???

    A lot of celebrity personalities don't bother with lawsuits like that because they take too much time, hard to prove, too much money and there are just plain too many doing it, suing one wouldn't stop the others.

    With that said,I don't like him, he should be strung up and hung out to dry
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
    Options
    I fell for the 17 Day Diet and the raspberry ketones before I realized that it was all crap. I guess there's just no money in telling people how to actually lose weight.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    Options
    As long as the audience keeps buying into the idea that there is an easy way to success, there will always be a seller.

    This is what it all boils down to. They are providing people with something they want: a seemingly easy fix to a complicated and hard to tackle problem. If the demand wasn't there, they'd be out of business.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Options
    Great post, OP!
    Wait...you mean this ISN"T TRUE???? But it's in a magazine!

    ww2.jpg

    What's sad is how many people will see this post and buy the magic potion. And the magazine.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    Options
    :drinker: I think he started off meaning well, and it's not like he personally needs the money, given that he's a highly successful surgeon. Nor is he stupid, obviously. But somehow his show has been hijacked and turned into a sideshow. Every once in awhile something interesting gets said, but it's drowned out by the sales pitch for the latest fad. It's sad, really.

    Highly successful surgeons make a few hundred thousand dollars a year, not the millions he is making now.

    Fair enough. He could have done a few shows and still quit while he had his reputation intact if upper middle class wasn't good enough for him, though.

    Why would he quit? He still makes a lot of money doing this.

    Everyone is missing the point. His goal was never to ACTUALLY help people. His goal was to use his credentials to influence people to spend money on products he endorsed and drum up viewership so he could rake in more advertising money by engaging in nutritional fearmongering, which is an extremely lucrative business. The biggest lie he ever sold was that he actually gave a poop about anyone other than himself.

    He's no different than all the other "doctors" out there who have written anti-*insert demon food item here* nutrition books and make hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions by scaring the living crap out of people and making them believe that there's some huge conspiracy to poison them within the food industry.

    You make me feel so naive! Worse, you could be right.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
    Options
    :drinker: I think he started off meaning well, and it's not like he personally needs the money, given that he's a highly successful surgeon. Nor is he stupid, obviously. But somehow his show has been hijacked and turned into a sideshow. Every once in awhile something interesting gets said, but it's drowned out by the sales pitch for the latest fad. It's sad, really.

    Highly successful surgeons make a few hundred thousand dollars a year, not the millions he is making now.

    Fair enough. He could have done a few shows and still quit while he had his reputation intact if upper middle class wasn't good enough for him, though.

    Why would he quit? He still makes a lot of money doing this.

    Everyone is missing the point. His goal was never to ACTUALLY help people. His goal was to use his credentials to influence people to spend money on products he endorsed and drum up viewership so he could rake in more advertising money by engaging in nutritional fearmongering, which is an extremely lucrative business. The biggest lie he ever sold was that he actually gave a poop about anyone other than himself.

    He's no different than all the other "doctors" out there who have written anti-*insert demon food item here* nutrition books and make hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions by scaring the living crap out of people and making them believe that there's some huge conspiracy to poison them within the food industry.

    You make me feel so naive! Worse, you could be right.

    I dont' meant to be accusatory of make anyone feel bad. These guys who do this are expert manipulators, and I don't think that anyone who fell for their shenanigans should feel as though they're stupid. They aren't. These guys are just very good at selling their crap, and the entire industry has been selling the idea of magic pills and quick fixes to weight problems for decades. It's ingrained in our society, so we all grow up thinking that at least some of this stuff works. In reality, it doesn't. It's all a big marketing ploy to get your money. It's actually quite sickeningly brilliant in that light.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
    Options
    But he could push so many other things that would still net a profit and still keep his reputation intact.

    Farm coops, running shoes, fitbit, this site, there are a million valid weight loss tools he could push. And that's what makes him in violation of the law.

    I was writing a paper on Gross Moral Turpitude and when I wanted a modern example, he was the first person who jumped into my head.

    He's the Kim Kardashian of the medical world. None of us are sure why he's there, but you just can't stop staring.

Categories